some Christmas verses

Christmas is 10 days away. There is no reason to focus on things that keep us from celebrating the real meaning of this season. But that would be easy.

2020 has been full of reasons to be depressed or stressed rather than focusing on how we are blessed. There is a virus that keeps changing, or so it seems, with fear all around. So much fear keeps hitting us that we aren’t willing to step up and live. You are either bad because you do something or bad because you didn’t do it.

Seems that there is no way to win. That is when we have tried to out live the Coronavirus, but that didn’t work. We have tried to make it a conspiracy or just pretend it isn’t a big deal. So how do we deal with all the issues around us?

Let me simply remind us that none of the stuff we are dealing with changed who our God is and what He can do. Remember the question that I shared last week, “since when has impossible ever stopped you?” God is still working, He is still God completely, and God is still the hope of the entire world.

Take a few minutes think about a few verses that are center to the Christmas season.

Matthew 1:21-23 NASB

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Isaiah 9:6 NASB

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus, because He will save His people.

Immanuel, because He is God with us.

Wonderful counselor, because He holds all wisdom.

Mighty God, because all the while being man He was and is God.

Eternal Father, because He is the beginning of everything that has been or will be.

Prince of peace, because He brings peace and He is peace.

Think about it just a little bit. Don’t let the situation around you dampen your Christmas celebration!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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